Xolani Kacela

Unitarian Universalists are called to go beyond the walls of our community in order to engage with the critical social and civic conversations of our day. This kind of broader, public leadership is an invitation to embody our faith’s prophetic vision and voice.

Upcoming Worship Services

Our ancestors may have lived in the long-ago faraway, but the great cycles of the natural world are just as relevant to us today as they ever were. In the middle of this season of holidays, the solstice gives us a chance to connect with the rhythms of the … read more.

The seven principles of Kwanzaa speak to all of us, not just those of African heritage. The first principle, which in Swahili is Umoja, is unity. In a time when there are so many efforts afoot to sew disunity and stimulate tribalism and conflict, all … read more.

Next Roundtable

Attention

Born on Christmas Day 1915!

Our church patriarch, Clayton Flowers, will celebrate his 103rd birthday December 25. We suggest that you send a card or note.

His US mail address is in the church directory as well as the Las Cruces phone directory. We know he would welcome hearing from you.

Your 2018 Pledge

Many thanks to so many of you as you complete your pledge for 2018. The church needs those dollars to complete the financial year.

If you have questions about the status of your pledge, please contact Naoma in the church office at office@uuchurchlc.org.

Website Home Tab to be Retired

Modern websites use their top-of-the-page logo as a “Home” tab. It saves space on the primary menu bar and is just as easy to use as the old home tab.

We’re retiring our home tab so that we have space on the menu bar for a Stewardship page. Look for the new Stewardship page soon.

Calendar Notes

Thank you to everyone who donated 2019 calendars to my project. Over 200 calendars were collected so far this year (it’s not too late). I am told a woman was looking for me last week (when I was in Honduras) because she wanted to get her calendar.

The following were the top donations:

20 The Nature Conservancy

14 World Wildlife Fund

10 Human Rights Watch

10 The Wilderness Society

10 Ocean Conservancy

10 ASPCA

Gratefully, Jan Thompson

The “Undies Sunday” Box

Thanks everyone, who donated!! The plight of immigrants released by ICE has drawn an outpouring of overwhelming generosity.

We do foresee a continuing need, so the “Undies Sunday” box will remain in the RE Great Room, and we are asking that the first Sunday of every month be an “Undies Sunday” (which doesn’t prevent you from donating at other times!)

New, in the package underwear in men’s sizes small and women’s sizes 4, 5, and 6 for underpants, and women’s size small or medium sports bras are welcome.The immigrants being helped are small people, and the goal is to provide them with new, clean undergarments since most have been traveling for weeks or even longer in the same clothing.

Thank you for supporting this new ministry of the UUCLC, Any questions may be referred to Susan Bagby or Gillian Leng.

Hospitality for Asylum Seekers

UUCLC supports the efforts of the Border Servant Corps (BSC) to provide hospitality for asylum seekers at Peace Lutheran Church. You can best help by meeting these specific identified needs:

Please contact BSC in advance to volunteer to sort donations, set up, tear down, do laundry, provide entertainment, and especially provide transportation to the bus station and airport.

Thank you all for supporting this work.

Caring Committee

The Caring Committee provides free help to members and friends of the church who have emergencies, needs for transportation, temporary meals after an illness or surgery. We also provide other types of assistance and loan out durable medical supplies. We provide rides to church, to medical appointments and procedures when members cannot supply their own transportation. We sometimes take members home from the hospital and we make hospital and nursing home visits. We send cards and make calls to those in need.

If you have a need for help either as an emergency or a planned health issue, you can contact us at caring@uuchurchlc.org or call Judy Holmes.

The Caring Committee currently meets every other month (the next meeting is January 23, 2019) to discuss current needs in the church community. If you would like to be a part of this committee, please call Judy Holmes. We welcome new members who wish to serve, either on the committee as a board position or as a helping volunteer.

Our Cans-4-Critters Initiative

The Animal Advocates Group thanks you all for supporting us by bringing aluminum cans for our Cans-4-Critters initiative! Thanks to you our receptacle located in the Great Room of the RE building is filling up every couple of weeks.

Money raised by the city-wide Cans-4-Critters is used to assist deserving people with payments for veterinary services, emergency boarding, and other expenses.

We encourage everyone to bring your aluminum cans for recycling and to help animals in need and the people who love them! Questions: Contact Dave or Ilene Steele or Jean Gilbert.

Hospitality Committee

There are still lots of coffee hour volunteer opportunities available through the end of the year. For any individuals, covenant groups, or committees that are looking for an opportunity to contribute, now’s your chance.

Email hospitality@uuchurchlc.org or talk to one of our committee members for details. We will also provide sign-up sheets in the RE great room during the Sunday coffee hours.

Service Opportunities

As we continue to grow and thrive, the church has an array of places where you can plug in, connect with others, and support the church!

If you think you might be interested in one of these positions, or would like more information on them – please email Naoma at office@uuchurchlc.org.

Position Title

Time Allotment

Archivist

1-10 hr/mo

Communication Officer – Content Designer

1-3 hr/wk

Communication Officer – Mail Coordinator

1-3 hr/wk

Communication Officer – Social Media

1-3 hr/wk

Data Entry

1-2 hr/wk

Document Manager

1-2 hr/wk

Instrumentalist

3-5 hr/wk

Money Counters

1-2 hr/wk

Photographers

1-4 hr/mo

Receptionists

1-2 hr/wk

Service Associates

1-5 hr/wk

Sound Technician

3-5 hr/wk

Sunday Materials Support

1-3 hr/wk

Volunteer Coordinator

1-3 hr/wk

Every Thursday – Meditation Group: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Our UU Meditation Group, lead by Reba Montera, meets off-site, in the First Floor East Parlor of the Good Samaritan’s E Building. Entry to the building is at 3045 Buena Vida Circle. Beginners and experienced meditators are welcome!

Every Friday – Rainbow Playgroup: 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Meet in the Religious Education building for parental support and free play with your children. All ages and families are welcome to join.

Highlighted Activities

Dec 16 Religious Education

Expanding Love, Building Identity, Exploring Beliefs

Multi-generational Programs

Our weekly STEAM projects help support core Unitarian Universalist values of reason, logic and analysis as well as creativity and imagination as religious values. All ages are welcome to join us in the STEAM project room.

9:00 am – Parent Support begins with Child Care in the Yellow Room of the Religious Education building.

10:30 am Please join us in the sanctuary for a brief time of shared worship.

Spirit Play (for ages 4 – 9 years)

Today we will walk the Winter Spiral in honor of the Solstice Celebration: We walk a spiral of evergreen, each person one at a time to the center where a chalice burns. Each person carries a candle and leaves it along the path. As the candle is placed in the spiral, we offer this blessing.

Reading for the Spiral: We move through this winter night as people with respect for all. We walk bringing the light of love and kindness with us on our journeys. We watch each other on the path and join together in love and joy for our time together.

“May the light we leave here be rekindled in our hearts each and every day.”

Spirit Play is a multi-age story based program with deep spiritual components. We enter the space with intention by walking a circle together preparing to engage with the story. We light a chalice and share our Joys and Sorrows.

Open play including word journals, art, story retelling and breaking bread together are a part of the morning experience.

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) supports our Unitarian Universalist belief that reason, logic, science and creativity and imagination matter; that we never stop learning and that the world is knowable.

Junior Youth (middle school age) meet in the Red Room

A special session on death, our Unitarian Universalist rituals and our personal beliefs will be explored.

Want to know more about Unitarian Universalist identity and this week’s program? Follow the links!

Sunday, December 23, we will celebrate the winter holidays together in the sanctuary in worship through song and story. Join Us!

Sunday, December 30, Guest Preacher with Rev Xolani Kacela as together they explore Kwanzaa.

January 6, 2019 Introducing Soul Matters! The Soul Matters program uses thematic ministry to connect our worship services and programs together in a cohesive insightful spiritual journey as a congregation.

January’s theme is Possibility. Each week we will explore a different aspect of the theme in age appropriate ways. Follow the link for more information about Soul Matters. https://www.soulmatterssharingcircle.com/

Happy Winter Holiday Season!

Visitors are welcome at all times.

Parent Support Staff: Eric Brekke and Paige Ramsey

Director of Religious Education: Susan Freudenthal

Dec 16 Winter Lights – Diamonds, Rubies, Silver and Gold!

Your last opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win a $ 750 gift certificate to Austin Fine Jewelers will be this coming Sunday, December 16.

Lyn Pearson will be selling tickets in the church lobby before and after both services. The winner will be picked at the Congregational Meeting after the 2nd service.

You do not need to be present to win. All proceeds from this raffle will be used to support the church mission.

Dec 16 Holiday Gift Boxes – a Festive Fundraiser

Festive, artistic holiday gift boxes will be displayed at UUCLC on Sunday, December 16, following services, beginning 10:00 am through 12:00 noon.

Proceeds from donations for the boxes will go to the Social Justice Committee of UUCLC and to the Humane Society of Southern NM. The boxes are designed for easy-opening by sliding off sash or ribbon to put gifts inside and are reusable.

For more information, please contact Jean Gilbert.

Dec 16 Budget Vote

A Congregational Meeting will be held on December 16, after the Second Service, to vote to approve the 2019 Budget.

Dec 21 Dining Out

Dining Out will be at 5:00 pm on Friday, December 21, at Aqua Reef Restaurant, 141 N. Roadrunner Pkwy. (North of Lohman)

The Tombaugh Gallery

The Art of Quilting

When it comes to “quilting” observers usually think of crafts or a nice hobby. However the quilters in the bee that meets at the Unitarian Universalist Church every Wednesday have indeed elevated their needle-work skills to an art form that transposes that kind of thinking to works of art (as well as something beautiful to cover the bed, wear or decorate walls).

A special show at the Tombaugh Art Gallery by these quilters runs through Jan 6, 2019. The show includes wall hangings, table runners, dolls, tree-ornaments, pillowcases and, of course, quilts for beds. Included in the show is a gallery of self-portraits and sales from the Christmas tree will be used for a variety of projects like prizes for the guild shows and prizes at the state fair. There will also be quilt racks by our friend, Rick Kohler for sale.

For further information on the show contact Kristine Northcutt at Gallery@uuchurchlc.org, or call the church at 522-7281.

The Tombaugh Gallery is located inside the Unitarian Universalist Church, 2000 South Solano Drive, Las Cruces, NM and is open Wednesday – Saturday, 10:00am – 2:00pm. Visit the gallery on Facebook.

The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.

The nUUs

The nUUs is published weekly on Thursday.

Send articles for the next edition to nuus@uuchurchlc.org, not later than 12 PM (noon) the Tuesday before the day of publication.

Articles should be as short as possible, a paragraph or two is desirable; the absolute limit is 450 characters, including spaces.

How to Print

Click on any of the little printer icons to print a clean copy of the nUUs.

Next Worship Service

Our ancestors may have lived in the long-ago faraway, but the great cycles of the natural world are just as relevant to us today as they ever were. In the middle of this season of holidays, the solstice gives us a chance to connect with the rhythms of the … read more.

Xolani Kacela

Unitarian Universalists are called to go beyond the walls of our community in order to engage with the critical social and civic conversations of our day. This kind of broader, public leadership is an invitation to embody our faith’s prophetic vision and voice.